Dracula [Audible Edition]

The modern audience hasn't had a chance to truly appreciate the unknowing dread that readers would have felt when reading Bram Stoker's original 1897 manuscript. Most modern productions employ campiness or sound effects to try to bring back that gothic tension, but we've tried something different. By returning to Stoker's original storytelling structure - a series of letters and journal entries voiced by Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, and other characters - with an all-star cast of narrators, we've sought to recapture its originally intended horror and power.

A Tale of Two Cities [Tantor]

A Tale of Two Cities is one of Charles Dickens's most exciting novels. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, it tells the story of a family threatened by the terrible events of the past. Doctor Manette was wrongly imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years without trial by the aristocratic authorities.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

When a brute of a man tramples an innocent girl, apparently out of spite, two bystanders catch the fellow and force him to pay reparations to the girl's family. The brute's name is Edward Hyde. A respected lawyer, Utterson, hears this story and begins to unravel the seemingly manic behavior of his best friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and his connection with Hyde.

Moby-Dick

Labeled variously a realistic story of whaling, a romance of unusual adventure and eccentric characters, a symbolic allegory, and a drama of heroic conflict, Moby Dick is first and foremost a great story. It has both the humor and poignancy of a simple sea ballad, as well as the depth and universality of a grand odyssey.

A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

A Signature Performance: Tim Curry rescues Charles Dickens from the jaws of Disney with his one-of-a-kind performance of the treasured classic. Our listeners loved this version so much that it inspired our whole line of Signature Classics.

Frankenstein

Narrator Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) presents an uncanny performance of Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel, an epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror.

The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights

King Arthur was a legendary British leader of the late fifth and early sixth century who, according to the medieval histories and romances, led the defense of the Romano-Celtic British against the Saxon invaders in the early sixth century. This book gives an account of the life of this great legend of all times.

The Invisible Man

On a freezing February day, a stranger emerges from out of the gray to request a room at a local provincial inn. Who is this out-of-season traveler? More confounding is the thick mask of bandages obscuring his face. Why does he disguise himself in this manner and keep himself hidden away in his room? Aroused by trepidation and curiosity, the local villagers bring it upon themselves to find the answers.

Pride and Prejudice

One of Jane Austen’s most beloved works, Pride and Prejudice, is vividly brought to life by Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl). In her bright and energetic performance of this British classic, she expertly captures Austen’s signature wit and tone. Her attention to detail, her literary background, and her performance in the 2005 feature film version of the novel provide the perfect foundation from which to convey the story of Elizabeth Bennett, her four sisters, and the inimitable Mr. Darcy.

David Copperfield [Audible]

Between his work on the 2014 Audible Audiobook of the Year, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel, and his performance of Classic Love Poems, narrator Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Hannibal) has quickly become a listener favorite. Now, in this defining performance of Charles Dickens' classic David Copperfield, Armitage lends his unique voice and interpretation, truly inhabiting each character and bringing real energy to the life of one of Dickens' most famous characters.

The Phantom of the Opera

The story begins with an investigation into some strange reports of an "opera ghost", legendary for making the great Paris opera performers ill-at-ease when they sit alone in their dressing rooms. Some allege to have seen the ghost in evening clothes moving about in the shadows. Nothing is done, however, until the disappearance of Christine during her triumphant performance.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

A natural storyteller and raconteur in his own right - just listen to Paddle Your Own Canoe and Gumption - actor, comedian, carpenter, and all-around manly man Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) brings his distinctive baritone and a fine-tuned comic versatility to Twain's writing. In a knockout performance, he doesn't so much as read Twain's words as he does rejoice in them, delighting in the hijinks of Tom - whom he lovingly refers to as a "great scam artist" and "true American hero".

Audible Editor Reviews

Scandalous when first published due to its homoerotic overtones and laissez faire attitude towards sexual pleasure, The Picture of Dorian Gray is legendary Irish writer Oscar Wilde’s classic literary comment on hedonism and the youthful pursuits of desire.

Narrated with artfully restrained passion by Alec Sand, the listener is captivated by this strange and wonderful story concerning a beautiful young man, Dorian Gray, who sells his soul so that he will never age in order to pursue the passions of the flesh while at the height of his stunning physical prowess.

Publisher's Summary

A young man commits all types of sin, but only his portrait shows the ravages of his life. Oscar Wilde’s Faustian classic. Gothic horror at it's best.

I'd have been more impressed when I was younger, but somehow this escaped me and I'd never read it. Of course, I knew basically what is was all about. Now it seems awfully contrived--interesting as a moral tale but not so much as a novel. What I liked best: the wonderfully witty dialog. What I like least: the narrator. He hadn't a clue how to pronounce anything English--names of people and places were wrong and the pacing was off too.

The book itself? Yes. Wilde is brilliant. He incorporates philosophical dimensions of hedonism, narcissism and egoism into a creepy gothic tale.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Not really relevant...the characters are multi-dimensional and interesting, but none are really likeable.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

In every way. Sand sounds like an adolescent who barely comprehends the words that he speaks. He murmurs and drops sentences. His flat midwestern accent is ridiculous for this work, especially when he is portraying the group of Brits sitting around discussing Americans.<br/><br/>He pronounces the word "extraordinary" as "extra-ordinary." Over and over. He sounds like a disinterested junior high student forced to read aloud from a textbook. One of the most ironic moments of the audiobook is when he describes Sybil's dreadful performance in her acting: He describes the horror of listening to the character's flat, artificial dead tones in her portrayal of a Shakespearian character. Meanwhile, we have to listen to the artificial, dead, artless, heartless performance of this classic work.<br/><br/>Sand's narrarion is hard to understand. He drops his voice at the end of sentences, so that the listener can hardly hear them.. He barely seems to understand the words that he reads. All of the characters have the same voice. At times, it seems that Sand can barely get through the text. He has a disinterested, squeaky, adolescent voice that has no chance of doing this work justice<br/><br/>This classic work deserves much better than this performance. Do not buy this edition of the audiobook.

I could not listen for more than 5 minutes to this wonderful book being blasphemed by an American accent. It totally ruined it for me. What an insult to Oscar Wilde, one of my favorites. Thank goodness I have the book in print because I cannot bear to listen to a British classic being read in a non-Brit accent. Horrifyingly disappointing. Do not make the same mistake.

This is a very thought provoking story with a very unique premise. I am sure books have been written on how to interpret this story. For me, it was an exercise in coming face to face with one's own reality. It is a morality on just how far a person who is apparently good and pure can sink. It is also an exercise on how someone can hope to change and do better. There comes a point, however, when there is no return. The more I think about this story, the more I like it. There have been times in my own life when I have not wanted to look at myself for what I really am. Maybe we all should have a Dorian Gray type painting of ourselves that we are forced to see every day that could help us judge the direction of our own lives, although it didn't much help Dorian.

The narrations was adequate, and, although it started out rather dull, seemed to improve as the book progressed.

Wilde's infamous novel about the life of Dorian Gray brings to the forefront of the mind the folly of vanity and the destructiveness of narcissism. Despite a bit of a dip in the middle and at times a fast paced audio, this audiobook brings alive the main characters and enabled me to experience for the first time why Wilde is a renowned as a legend of the written word.

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